In the early 1930s, separated from the era when men would play women's roles in films by merely two decades, a charming beauty graced the Indian silver screen. Acting was still not considered a respectable career choice, and finding women in the industry from sophisticated backgrounds was unheard of. But for a girl who studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and music at Royal Academy of Music in London in the 1920s, being in front of the camera came as naturally to her as it does to her NYU-schooled successors a century later — with the benefit of mass adulation. But the feisty spirit that she was, societal acceptance was of little consequence to her anyway.

That's why "trailblazer" seems like an apt description for Devika Rani when Lillette Dubey describes the protagonist of her new, eponymous play. Set to premiere in Kolkata this weekend, the play is the result of Dubey's engagement with Rani, hailed as the first lady of Indian cinema, for close to one and a half years. "It all began sometime last year when I met my college mate and [London-based] author Kishwar Desai. She was writing a book on Devika Rani and told me she had access to letters, which were not in the public domain. While I knew of the work Rani had done — who doesn't? — what interested me was the woman and what made her who she is," shares the noted actor-director, referring to her interest in original Indian writing and portraying strong female characters in her productions — the pioneering singer Gauhar Jaan being one of her more recent subjects.